Mumbai rises in IPL, Win their 1st Match

After tasting defeat in Bangalore, Chennai, and Mumbai, the jinx was finally broken for the Mumbai Indians in the City of Joy, as they defeated home team Kolkata Knight Riders by 7 wickets.

The Knight Riders won the toss and chose to bat first but their famed batting line-up failed to show any resistance against some fine bowling by a determined Mumbai team.

Mumbai's veterans Sanath Jayasuriya and Shaun Pollock stole the limelight, wrecking both the top and the middle order of the Kolkata Knight Riders, and restricting them to a modest 137 for 8. The crafty Jayasuriya displayed variation in his bowling and stuck to a tight line to finish with dream figures of 4-1-14-3.

On a sporting pitch which was a far cry from the two-paced dry wicket that had been universally condemned nine days back, skipper Shaun Pollock struck in the first over itself. Riders lost captain Saurav Ganguly being caught by Jayasuriya off Pollock. Another blow followed within two balls. This time, Mc Cullum was out lbw.

By the 13th over, Riders had already lost six of their batsmen. Jayasuriya was all over the place. First, he ran out Ricky Ponting and then had Mohd. Hafeez caught behind. The Lankan all-rounder all dismissed Ajit Agarkar and Ashish Nehra.

For the Riders, Laxmi Ratan Shukla (40 not out; 4x4, 2x6) emerged as the top scorer, with a late assault. His cameo helped Kolkata reach a score of 138 runs.

The Indians started on a good note but it wasn't to last. A. Rahane was caught by Hussey off Agarkar's bowling and then Ishant sharma clean bowled the flamboyant Jayasuriya. The pacers continued the damage when new bowler Ashok Dinda bowled Manish Pandey for a duck on the first ball of the fifth over, leaving Mumbai Indians tottering at 25 for 3. However, West Indian Dwayne Bravo and Robin Uthappa came together to repair the innings.

The duo steadied the boat for the team, displaying calm and only hitting the bad balls across the rope. Bravo, the more active of the partners, completed his half century in 42 balls and along with Uthappa (37 not out) steered the team to a well-deserved victory.

Shahid Afridi to keep his eye on the ball in IPL

Cheerleaders may have added a dash of glamour to the billion-dollar Indian Premier League, but Shahid Afridi sees them as a distraction.

The Pakistan all-rounder, who is signed up to Deccan Chargers, rejects the idea they add to the entertainment value of the game.

"The girls in skimpy dresses should be removed from the ground as this is distracting the batsman," he told The News.

"Cricket itself is an entertainment. It does not require such cheerleaders to entertain."

Afridi, a veteran of 258 one-dayers, had a forgettable IPL debut on Tuesday, scoring just two runs in seven balls with his two overs going for 17 runs as the Chargers lost to Delhi Daredevils by nine wickets.

The Chargers on Thursday face the Rajasthan Royals looking for their first win of the tournament.

Afridi, who was bought by his team for 675,000 US dollars, also feels Pakistani players have been undervalued in the IPL.

He told Times Now: "Bids on Pakistan players as compared to other players are not high.

"Players of Pakistan like Misbah-ul-Haq, Umar Gul and Shoaib Malik who performed exceptionally well in the Twenty20 World Cup last year did not get their due.

"I feel Pakistan players should have been bid for a high amount."

I don't play for records : Tendulkar

Master Blaster Sachin Tendulkar has said that he was playing cricket for the love of the game and not for making records.

"I do not play for records. Playing cricket is a passion for me and I enjoy my cricket thoroughly," he told an Indian television news channel.

"While doing so if a few records are broken then its okay and if not then also its all right. I only try to give my best performance," he added.

Asked to compare the captaincy of Anil Kumble and MS Dhoni, Tendulkar said he enjoyed playing under both.

"Both of them are good. One is playing since the 90's and is a world class player. He is playing for 18 years and very few players have palyed for India so long. Anil is a world class player and all are having high regards for him.

"On the other hand there is youngster Dhoni who has played for two-and-half years and has performed tremendously. He has shown great maturity," he said.

"I have played under both of them. The contrast is there and it is a good opportunity to play under both of them and I am enjoying," he added.

On the recent talk about his desire to play in the 2011 World Cup Tendulkar said, "I answered a particular question during an interview where I said that I have been playing till today and as a habbit I don't think much about the future or the past."